A young boy in Varanasi dressed up as the God Shiva. Notice the moon above his head. There is a very thin crescent (the 3-day old moon) which is known as Shiva's moon here in India, symbolizing the hidden inner depth of spiritual experience.
Charles these are wonderful! What I remember of my India studies was that the act of mimicking Shiva was a deep act of devotion, penance, and cultural expression, symbolizing a connection to the deity by adopting his blue skin and ascetic imagery to earn blessings, perform rituals and sometimes even for alms, showing faith, spiritual seeking, and embodying the powerful, divine, yet relatable aspects of Shiva.
It is a real shame that some of the World has trouble embracing the religious aspects of ANY religion. We have much to learn "Grasshopper!" Kwai Chang Caine
Well done!
Dan
Danpbphoto wrote:
Charles these are wonderful! What I remember of my India studies was that the act of mimicking Shiva was a deep act of devotion, penance, and cultural expression, symbolizing a connection to the deity by adopting his blue skin and ascetic imagery to earn blessings, perform rituals and sometimes even for alms, showing faith, spiritual seeking, and embodying the powerful, divine, yet relatable aspects of Shiva.
It is a real shame that some of the World has trouble embracing the religious aspects of ANY religion. We have much to learn "Grasshopper!" Kwai Chang Caine
Well done!
Dan
Absolutely true, Dan. In fact, by emulating Shiva, I felt like the boy connected to his own internal power. I loved David Carradine's portrayal by the way. The series itself was somewhat violent, but it had so much deep spirituality in it.
kcb009nyc wrote:
The one peaking through the doorway is absolutely incredible. The shadowing and the way the focus is drawn to the face is super cool. Very well done!
